When using a camera for making photographs in low light conditions, be it an analog or a digital camera, one is confronted with a common problem of whether to use a usually built-in flashlight or to photograph without the flashlight (e.g., with or without the “flash”).
Usually, the user of the camera chooses to take two shots, one with and one without the flashlight, or vice versa. However, this method has the disadvantage of taking two different shots, since the camera will have to be moved when turning on the flashlight and taking the next picture. Additionally, the object to be photographed may have moved after the first picture was taken. This may be a problem with living objects, such as animals or human beings.
Also, while in older analog cameras, the end result is not seen until the film is developed. In some analog cameras of the active-pixel sensor type (APS-type) a preview of the picture may be seen before the film is developed. In a digital camera, a preview of the end result may be seen in the camera display, but usually this is not possible for a photograph which is intended to be taken with a flashlight.
By the same token, sometimes the photographer is interested in retaining the atmosphere seen in the scenery on the photograph and objects in the background, while sometimes he or she may be interested in details in the foreground.
Some solutions exist to the too dark/too bright photograph problem, such as when a picture is taken without and with flashlight.
These solutions are mostly based on using the exposure compensation function, by taking two or more pictures where some of the photographs are underexposed and some overexposed. The user may then select the pictures he or she thinks is the best one or let the camera processor calculate a mean exposure picture representing the best picture.
The same procedure may be performed with the white balance function on a digital camera. A common term for the taking of multiple photographs using by changing one parameter is bracketing.